31 October 2016

Some weekend mornings you can't even be bothered to scramble eggs for breakfast. This weekend was one of those weekends. In the past six weeks I've started a new job, had a friend over for a few days, had my nephew's Christening and my Dad stay with us, went to a wedding in Burgundy, a wedding in Devon and a hen party in Somerset; all back to back. On top of that I've been getting used to a long commute (a difficult adjustment after three years of cycling to and from work through my beloved Regent's Park, sob), and I've had two colds in four weeks. My boyfriend was away so after a hectic September and October, a nice quiet weekend at home to recuperate - and an extra hour in bed on Sunday - is just what the doctor ordered.

29 October 2016

Agent Provocateur is one of my favourite brands. I love the swirly vintage-style wordmark logo, iconic powder pink and black branding, chandelier-lit boudoir-inspired stores and, of course, beautiful, luxurious lingerie. The British brand launched its first perfume, Signature, 15 years ago and celebrates this year with a new limited edition version called Lace Signature which came out this summer.

The bottle shape is the same as the original, only this time it's wrapped in a hot pink lace pattern printed on the glass, in black packaging. Inspired by provocative leather and delicate lace, the fragrance is floral, fruity and woody: it opens with bergamot and saffron, with orange blossom, wild orchid, bitter orange and evergreen at its heart, finishing with a lingering base of amber wood, musk and black cedar. It's heady, sexy and very AP.

26 October 2016

This summer I went to the large, newly-opened Atrium Kitchen overlooking the buzzy Stables Market in Camden for dinner and drinks. The food is casual, the decor is modern and the cocktail list, devised by the award-winning mixologist Tony Safqi, is impressive.

13 October 2016

Last week I attended a performance of Mozart's comic opera Cosi fan tutteat the beautiful Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The two act Italian opera was first performed in 1790 in Vienna with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's music and Lorenzo Da Ponte's libretto and is the third and final opera they wrote together. Its name means 'Thus do all', which translates as 'women are like that' (charming) and it's a twisted tale about two couples, a bet gone wrong and the nuanced nature of love.

10 October 2016

Ahhh summer. It already seems like months ago... One of my favourite things to do is going to my favourite place in London, Regent's Park, with some food, fizz and friends for a couple of hours in the sun. We spent a lot of time in the park this year with friends and family, including with my adorable baby nephew, as well as walking home from work with my boyfriend catching Pokémon, watching sports teams, birthday picnics, frolicking dogs and little kids playing.

7 October 2016

It's new winter coat time! The temperature's really dropped in this past week so I'm going through my knitwear and coats to see what needs updating and I'm on the lookout for a new statement coat to alternate with this one. This gorgeous Kate Spade wool coat with a soft faux fur collar, menswear-inspired plaid tweed and classic A-line shape is perfect, although at £900 I'm looking at alternatives; here are some of my favourites.

5 October 2016

The Undressed exhibition at the Victoria & Albert explores the history of lingerie from the 18th century to the present day, charting its role in shaping the silhouette to the fashionable body ideal, design innovation and evolution of cut, fit and fabric trends as well as the changing attitudes towards gender, sexuality and morality.

There are over 200 examples of women's and men's underwear from 19th century home-made whalebone stays and everyday garments to custom-made bridal, silk stockings, satin suspender belts and modern-day delicate lace sets. Lingerie-inspired outerwear is on display like Gwyneth Paltrow's Antonio Berardi trompe l’oeil corset dress, the iconic 90s see-through Kate Moss dress and the lilac lace Elie Saab dress Mila Kunis wore on the red carpet, along with old advertising posters and interviews with Agent Provocateur's creative director Sarah Shotton and the fabulously eccentric Parisienne designer Fifi Chachnil. This glittering canary yellow corset made by Mr Pearl for ultimate girl crush Dita Von Teese was my highlight. If Undressed doesn't inspire you to go home and get out your most beautiful lingerie, I don't know what will.

3 October 2016

I should have posted these photos early September as there's something slightly schoolgirlish about this outfit. This bright orange Petit Bateau dressis one of those items you love so much you go back and buy in other colours (the navy one came first): it's easy to throw on, comfortable cotton and feeds my breton stripe addiction nicely.